


Computer Says No

by treez_r_green



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:20:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3511616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treez_r_green/pseuds/treez_r_green
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erik is the poor IT guy that has to fix everyone's computers, and Charles is the office worker with horrible, horrible luck with electronics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Computer Says No

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this an age ago for the kink meme. I'm just trying to collect all my writing in one place.

Erik’s day usually goes something like this. Alarm blares obnoxiously at 7.15, he ignores it and goes back to sleep. Alarm goes off again at 7.30 and he wrenches himself out of bed, pours himself into the shower and by his second cup of coffee he feels halfway to human. At 8.15 he catches the tube across the city and is sitting in his dingy little cubicle in ‘The Basement,’ otherwise known as the IT department at Shaw Enterprises, by 8.50.

His first call usually comes through about 9.10 because most people start seriously contemplating work at 9am but it normally takes them about ten minutes of mindlessly typing their password over and over again to realise that something’s actually wrong and call the IT department. When that time comes Erik answers the phone with, “IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?”

On this particular day he’s answered the phone this way no fewer than 9 times and only actually been called up to look at a computer twice. It’s 12.15. He’s contemplating taking an early lunch and leaving Hank to field the telephone calls when his line rings again and he thinks he might as well answer one last call before lunch, “IT, have you tried…”

“Yes I’ve tried turning it off and on again,” interrupts a familiar voice, “and yes I’ve checked it’s actually plugged in this time and it’s definitely turned on, I was just logged on a second ago and now it’s locked me out!”

“Are you sure…” Erik starts before he’s interrupted once more,

“Yes I’m sure I typed in the correct password, please Erik, I have to get this expense form to finance in less than an hour and you know this thing hates me!”

“Ok, Charles, I’ll be right up.” He hangs up the phone and smiles; Charles is by far Erik’s favourite employee at Shaw Enterprises. He works in HR and seems to have some sort of weird aversion to technology. Well it’s more that technology seems to have some kind of vendetta against Charles. He phones IT approximately once a day with problems ranging from his computer locking him out (most common) to the printer shredding only the documents printed from his computer but no one else’s and one particularly bizarre occasion on which his phone line magically changed its ring to Greensleeves and no one could work out how he possibly managed to get it to do that.

It’s always Erik’s favourite part of the day when Charles calls, most of the other employees seem incompetent and annoying to him, half of the problems he gets called up from the basement for could easily be solved with just a little common sense but something about Charles is just so endearing. Erik thinks that just one look in those puppy-dog eyes could melt even the hardest of hearts. And maybe it says something that Charles is the only one that Erik does not snap at and get irrationally grouchy with. It’s actually a widely categorised phenomenon, Erik’s soft spot for Charles, and in fact people have been known to ask Charles to phone through with their IT issues because Erik will almost certainly bite their heads off but he would never dare snap at Charles. Erik never questions why he seems to be the only person in IT Charles ever speaks to.

When he gets up to HR, Charles is sitting at his desk, forlornly staring at his computer. Erik walks past the other desks, resolutely ignoring the stares and whispers from the HR girls. Angel and Raven love nothing more than to gossip and their favourite topic seems to be Erik and Charles. He believes there’s some kind of pool going on but he doesn’t pay enough attention to gossip to know exactly what they’re betting on, maybe it’s when they think he will finally snap and lose his patience with Charles. Like that could ever happen, he thinks to himself, looking at Charles’ pitiful face and hangdog expression, he’d be more likely to spontaneously cuddle the man, and Erik does not do cuddling. “Alright then, let’s see if we can fix this so you can stop looking like someone kicked your puppy, it’s kind of pathetic.” He says jokingly, walking up to Charles’ desk.

“Hi!” Charles sits up when he sees Erik and his face just lights up, it takes Erik’s breath away. He takes a second to mourn the fact that the smile is just because Erik’s going to fix his computer and not because Charles is actually happy to see him then shakes it away and gets to work. 

It’s actually pretty simple to reset Charles’ login but then the whole thing suddenly crashes and turns itself off and refuses to switch back on again. Erik is starting to believe that Charles’ computer really is cursed like he keeps claiming but then he tells himself he is being ridiculous and that there must just be a loose connection somewhere. Ten minutes of fiddling with wires under Charles’ desk and he thinks he’s solved the problem. Charles disappeared about five minutes ago to let Erik work and his shoes appear in Erik’s line of vision from where he’s lying under the desk, shirt rolled up to his sleeves and coming untucked from his slacks. He slides himself out from under the desk and Charles gives him an undecipherable look before clearing his throat.

“All fixed?” he asks, overly cheerful.

“Yep,” Erik says getting to his feet, “shouldn't give you any more trouble but, well you know my number if it does,” he jokes.

“Yeah, I, um… yes I do.” Charles smiles, he seems a little nervous which Erik thinks is strange. 

“Listen,” Charles starts, “I have to just finish these expense forms and email them to finance but then, do you want to go get lunch somewhere? My treat, you know, to say thank you for all the IT…stuff.”

“Charles, that’s really not…” He goes to refuse but something in Charles’ expression makes him think that this is maybe something a little more than Charles trying to repay a colleague for a favour so he takes a breath then takes a chance.

“Sure, I’d love to have lunch with you, on one condition.”

“What’s that?” asks Charles, uncertain.

“You let me take you out for dinner on Friday.” Erik replies. Charles’ answering smile could light up the room.

“Deal,” says Charles, “let me just finish up here then meet me out the front in ten?”

“Alright, see you in a bit then,” says Erik and, throwing caution to the wind, leans in to kiss Charles’ cheek before walking straight out of the department, resolutely ignoring the high-pitched noises coming from Angel and Raven. As he gets into the lift though, he swears he hears someone shout, “Called it! Everyone pay up!”


End file.
